Mining machine chain carrying bars and impellers for the chains thereof



H- F. SILVER NE CHAIN Oct. 9. 1956 2,766,030 MINING MACHI CARRYING BARS AND IMPELLERS FOR THE CHAINS THEREOF l t e e h S 5 Sheets- Original Filed May 28,

H- F. SILVE MINING MACHINE CHAIN CARRYING BARS AND IMPELLERS FOR THE CHAINS THEREOF Original Filed May 28, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 y 0AM a- WWW, 6237 9.

0st. 9. 1956 H. F. SILVER 2,76,930

MINING MACHINE CHAIN CA RRYING BARS AND IMPELLERS FOR THE CHAINS THEREOF Original Filed May 28, 1947 5 Shee ts-Sheet 3 Get. 9; 1956 4 t e m w 7 m e m S 5 H. F. MINING MACHINE CHA NG BARS AND THEREOF IMPELLERS Original Filed May 28, 1947 u.% .9 W JM M 5 Get. 9, 1956 H. F. SILVER MINING MACHINE CHAIN CARRYING BARS AND HE CHAINS THEREOF 5 SheetsSheet 5 IMPELLERS FOR T Original Filed May 28, 1947 LIIIIIIII'III.

I I i I .152 22671302? I. Haro 2d Jiweit MG MACHINE CHAIN (TARRYING BARS AND IMPELLERS F QR TEE .CHAJNS THEREOF Harold F. Silver, Denver, Colo, assignor to Joy Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania (Briginal application May 28, 1947, Serial No. 750,981. Divided and this application April 17, 1951, Serial No. 221,476

18 Claims. (Cl. 262-33)" The present invention relates to disintegrating devices for continuous miners including the means for supportmg and circulating in desired orbits the elements which application Serial No. 750,981, filed May 28, 1947, for

Apparatus and Method for Mining Minerals from the Solid, which last mentioned application fully supported the disclosure of the present application, and hence the present application is in all respects in effect a division of and entitled to the date of the earlier application Serial No. 750,931, which now stands abandoned.

it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved coal or other material disintegrating apparatus. A more specific object is to provide an improved multichain disintegrating apparatus having improved supporting means. Still another object is to provide improved supporting and moving means for vein-attacking elements distributed in such a pattern .and in such numbers as to disintegrate and move away from the face a relatively wide band of mineral. A further object is to provide an improved motor drive for a material disintegrating apparatus. appear.

in the accompanying drawings, in which an illustrative embodiment or the invention from its various aspects is shown incorporated in a continuous miner,

Fig. l is a side elevational view of a continuous miner in which the illustrative embodiment of the invention is incorporated.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. l.

3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view on the plane of the line 33 of Fig. 2 and with parts omitted.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view on the plane of the section line 4-4 of Fig. 3, showing details of the disintegrating mechanism and its drive.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of portions of the disintegrating mechanism.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged lon itudinal view in vertical sec tion, through the chain gang and drive arrangement of the disintegrating apparatus.

Fig. 7 is a transverse vertical section through the disintegrating mechanism of Fig. 6, taken on the Plane of the line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

The invention is shown incorporated in a continuous mining apparatus 1, which forms the subject matter of my copending application Serial No. 11,688, filed Feb. 27, 1948, above mentioned. The continuous miner comprises a base 2, supported upon and adapted to be propelled by means of crawlers 3 which may be reversibly driven, braked, and propelled at difierent predetermined Other objects of the invention will hereinafter speeds by power from a motor 4, all as fully disclosed in 7 Serial No. 11,688. The miner has a primary conveyor 2,766,030 Patented Oct. 9, 1956 7, clean-up devices 3, and an independently powered delivery conveyor 9, of which but a fragment is shown, motor 4, as explained in Serial No. 11,688, supplies the power for the actuation of the primary conveyor and the clean-up devices.

The body 2 rotatably supports a turntable 11 which supports for reciprocation relative to it a frame portion l2. This frame portion, its support and guidance and disimegrating mechanism which 1s now to be described is much less comprehensive than the structure designated by this term in parent application Seri-al'No. 11,688, and the subject matter of the present application is confined to the supporting frame, mounted for swinging on a horizontal axis, the chains which are carried and guided on the frame, and the driving means for the chains for causing them to circulate in the orbits in which they are guided by the frame. The subject matter mentioned has been held to be divisible from the more comprehensive disintegrating apparatus of the parent case, and is thereore made the subject matter of this present application.

orbits which are arranged in vertical planes, and in such proximity to each other that all of the coal or other mineral for a width equal to the distance between the orbits of the most remotely spaced side bits will be removed from the solid and carried back by the chains. In the drawings, and particularly in Fig. 6, there will be noted at 20 a structure built up of plates 21 and 22 spaced from each other and secured together by plate elements 23, and there are clamped to the plates 21 and 22 by bolts 24, guideways 25, in the form illustrated, for four chains of the block and strap link type, the bit-carrying blocks being illustrated at 26, the strap links at 27 and the disintegrating implements, herein the hits, at 28. This structure is connected to a forkside portion 36 of the frame 12, and carried at the other side in a cylindrical portion 33 carried by a gear housing 37. An end closure member 38 is secured to the member 34 as shown in Figures 4 and 5.

In suitable anti-friction bearings 40 mounted inside the others, in slightly oblique transverse rows. This arrangement is a portion of the subject matter of the parent case, and its benefits and mode of operation are fully described therein.

Between each sprocket and the next there is mounted a paddle-carrying spacer disc or bladed impeller of which the paddles or blades 46 serve for the more ettective discharge of the coal or other disintegrated mineral.

The frame 12 has suitably bolted to it a motor 47, of which the power shaft 48 carries a driving pinion 49. This driving pinion meshes with and drives an intermediate gear 50 rotatably supported by means of a shaft 51 journaled, as at 52 and 52', respectively, in the gear casing 37 and another casing element 53. The gear 50 meshes with a gear 55, and the gear 55 drives, through a shaft 56 common to the two gears, another gear 57, the shaft 56 being rotatably supported in the hearings in the frame portion 37, and in a cover portion 59 carried by the frame portion. Gear 57 drives a larger gear 60, which, through a common shaft 61 supported similarly to the shaft 56, drives a smaller pinion 62, which in turn meshes with a relatively large gear 63 whose hub portion 64 is connected by a spline as to one element 66 of a coupling 67 whose other element 68 is connected to the element 66 by one or more shear pins 69. The element 68 is connected by a key 71 to the end of the shaft 41, to drive the latter.

Now it will be observed that the several chain sprockets 42a, 42b, 42c and 42d and the paddle equipped spacers or impellers 45 will be rotated by the shaft 41 through the following driving connections: shaft 48 of the motor 47 driving pinion 49, drive gear 50, drive gear 55, coaxial smaller drive gear 57, the larger drive gear 60, meshing with the drive gear 57, the smaller drive gear 62 turning with the larger drive gear 60, and the still larger drive gear 63 connected through the shear pin mechanism with the shaft 41. By assembling the gear 69 on the shaft 56 and the gear 57 on the shaft 61, as may readily be done with the construction shown and described, it will be possible to effect a drive of the chains at a much higher rate than with the parts assembled as shown; and many other gear combinations of proper pitch diameters can be used to get almost any desired chain speed.

As the arrangements for swinging the chain supporting and guiding structure, the arrangements for receiving and redirecting as necessary the disintegrated material brought back by the chains, and indeed all of the other associated structure, including even the special sideboard arrangements which extend from points just to the rear of the points of maximum material penetration by the disintegrating bar structure form parts of the more comprehensive disintegrating mechanism of the parent case they are not described herein.

The invention of this present case, hereinabove described, permits such evident advantages, once its structure is disclosed, that no further description is essential.

\Vhile there is in this application specifically described one form which the invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this form of the same is shown for purposes of illustration and that the invention may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a material disintegrating mechanism comprising more than two mutually laterally spaced bitted chains guided for orbital movement in like upright orbits having forward and rearward ends, said orbits having portions in which the chains move forwardly and other portions in which the chains move rearwardly and the lateral spacing of said chains and the disposition of the bits thereon disposing the orbits of at least some of the bits on mutually adjacent chains in close contiguity to each other, a drive shaft within and adjacent the rearward ends of said orbits, a series of chain driving sprockets coaxial with and fixed to said shaft each engaging and driving one of said chains, and a series of rotary impellers arranged coaxial with said shaft and one between each of said sprockets and the next sprocket and rotatable with said sprockets for discharging disintegrated material from between said chains.

2. In a material disintegrating mechanism comprising more than two mutually laterally spaced bittedchains guided for orbital movement in like upright orbits hav- -ing forward and rearward ends, said orbits having portions in which the chains move forwardly and other 4 portions in which the chains move rearwardly and the lateral spacing of said chains and the disposition of the bits thereon disposing the orbits of at least some of the bits on mutually adjacent chains in close contiguity to each other, means providing longitudinally extending guideways for said chains where the latter are moving rearwardly, a drive shaft within and adjacent the rearward ends of said orbits, a series of chain driving sprockets coaxial with and fixed to said shaft each engaging and driving one of said chains, and a series of rotary impellers arranged coaxial with said shaft and one between each of said sprockets and the next sprocket and rotatable with said sprockets for discharging disintegrated material from between said chains, each of said impellers cut by an upright plane bisecting one of said guideways longitudinally.

3. In a material disintegrating mechanism comprising more than two mutually laterally spaced bitted chains guided for orbital movement in like upright orbits having forward and rearward ends, said orbits having portions In which the chains move forwardly and other portions in which the chains move rearwardly and the lateral spacing of said chains and the disposition of the bits thereon disposing the orbits of at least some of the bits on mutually adjacent chains in close contiguity to each other, a drive shaft within and adjacent the rearward ends of said orbits, a series of chain driving sprockets coaxial with and fixed to said shaft each engaging and driving one of said chains, and a series of rotary impellers arranged coaxial with said shaft and one between each of said sprockets and the next sprocket and rotatable with said sprockets for discharging disintegrated material from between said chains, each of said impellers cut by a plane perpendicular to the axis of said shaft and midway between a pair of mutually adjacent chains.

4. In a material disintegrating mechanism comprising more than two mutually laterally spaced chains armed with material disintegrating devices and guided for orbital movement in like orbits in parallel planes and having forward and rearward ends, means providing guideways for said chains including guiding elements each guidingly engaging a pair of mutually adjacent chains, a drive shaft adjacent the rearward ends of said orbits, a series of chain driving sprockets coaxial with and fixed to said shaft engaging and driving said chains, and a series of rotary impellers arranged coaxial with said shaft and one between each of said sprockets and the next sprocket and adjacent to each of the latter and rotatable with said sprockets for discharging disintegrated material from between said chains, each of said guiding elements having its rearward end adjacent a different one of said impellers and being cut between its sides by a plane extending long'tudinally of it and normal to said shaft and between the sides of such impeller.

5. In a material disintegrating apparatus, an elongated disintegrating bar structure supporting for movement in like orbits in vertical planes extending longitudinally of said disintegrating bar structure a plurality of vein-attacking elements, said bar structure carrying, for the support and orbital movement of certain of said elements, a pair of laterally spaced apart chains, one adjacent one side of said bar structure and the other adjacent the other side of the latter, and also, between said spaced apart chains, other chains for the support and orbital movement in like orbits in other vertical planes extending longitudinally of said disintegrating bar structure further vein-attacking elements, each of said chains composed of essentially equally spaced vein-attacking element-supporting blocks, and said chains having for driving them in their orbits a series of like sprockets turning at like angular rates and one individual to each chain, said sprockets having for supporting and driving them a common power driven driving shaft adjacent the rear end of said bar structure and being mounted on said shaft with successive ones of at least most of the sprockets progressively ams, one

set back angularly about the axis of' the shaft by like small angular amounts so that the vein-attacking elements actuated by said. at least most of said. sprockets, as they move along said elongated bar structure, travel in rows which are generally parallel to each other and oblique to the length of the bar structure, and provide along oblique lines moving outwardly towards the face outward thrusts progressively augmented by the effect of the disintegrating elements on the several chains across said bar structure as they successively become a part of such a row.

6. In a material disintegrating apparatus, an elongated disintegrating bar structure supporting for movement in like orbits in vertical planes extending longitudinally of said disintegrating bar structure a plurality of vein-attacking elements, said bar structure carrying, for the support and orbital movement of certain of said elements, a pair of laterally spaced apart chains, one adjacent one side of said bar structure and the other adjacent the other side of the latter, and also, between chains, other chains for the support and orbital movement in like orbits in other vertical planes extending longitudinally of said disintegrating bar structure further vein-attacking elements, each of said chains composed of essentially equally spaced vein-attacking element-supporting blocks, and said chains having for driving them at like rates in their orbits a series of like sprockets one individual to each chain, said sprockets having for supporting and driving them a common power driven driving shaft adjacent the rear end of said bar structure and being mounted on said shaft with the teeth of the sprockets successively more remote from one end of said shaft and nearer the other progressively set back by like additional small angular increments so that the vein attacking elements, as they move along said elongated bar structure, travel in rows which are parallel to each other and oblique to the length of the bar structure, and provide along oblique lines moving outwardly towards the face outward thrusts progressively augmented by the effect of the disintegrating elements on the several chains across said bar structure as they successively become a part of such a row, said sprockets having associated with them material impeller elements one less in number than said sprockets and each having a sprocket at each side thereof.

7. In a material disintegrating mechanism, a plurality of laterally spaced, but mutually adjacent, bit-carrying chains moving in parallel planes and in forwardly and rearwardly extending orbits, a plurality of laterally spaced chain-driving sprockets one for each bit-carrying chain,

said sprockets each arranged at the rearward end of the I orbit of its respective chain, and, for elfecting discharge of material rearwardly from the spaces between the chains, material impellers, one for each space between a pair of mutually adjacent chains, and means for fixing said sprockets and impellers in mutually coaxial relation with sprockets and impellers alternating, and for supporting them for rotation on a common axis with a sprocket within the orbit of each chain and each impeller at least substantially bisected by a plane midway between and parallel to the chains driven by the sprockets at each side thereof.

8. In combination, in a disintegrating apparatus, a frame comprising upper and lower plates, plates extending transversely to said upper and lower plates and secured to them for maintaining them in spaced relation, chain guides mounted on said upper and lower plates, tubular spacer elements extending between said upper and lower plates and perpendicular to each of the same, and bolt and nut devices extending through said tubular elements and through said guides for securing the latter to said upper and lower plates.

9. In a material disintegrating mechanism, a frame comprising upper and lower plates, plates extending between the upper and lower plates to space them apart, chain guides mounted on the upper and lower plates,

said spaced apart H tubular spacer'elementsextending between the upper and lower'plates' at points in the latter over which said chain guides" lie, bolt and nut devices extending through said elements and said guides to secure the guides to the upper and lower plates, a gang of'parallel, bitted chains movable in: orbits determined in part by said guides, a drive shaft rotatably mounted adjacent one end of the frame, means on the drive shaft to engage and drive the chains, and additional means on the drive shaft inthe planes of said guides to aid in discharging disintegrated material from between the chains.

10. Mechanism as in claim 9, in which the upper chain guides and lower chain guides are substantially parallel,

which said chain engaging and driving means comprise sprockets on said drive shaft of a diameter at least equal to the spacing of the upper and lower plates.

11. Mechanism as in claim 10, in which said addicomprise rotary impellers disposed on and rive shaft between the sprockets and having radially extending arms whose extremities lie in a circle of a diameter at least equal to the distance between the more remote surfaces of the upper and lower plates. 12. Mechanism as in claim 9, in which said additional means comprise a series of spaced rotary impellers.

13. As an article of manufacture, a supporting shaft, a plurality of chain-driving sprockets fixed to said shaft in positions spaced along said shaft, there being end sprockets and at least one intermediate sprocket, and a plurality of impellers, one between each sprocket and the one next it, rotating with said sprockets as said shaft width of a chain.

14. As an article of manufacture, a disintegrating chain driving and and material fragment handling structure in cluding disintegrating chain driving sprockets and material impelling elements arranged alternately with each other and coaxial with each other and fixed for rotation together at equiangular rates on their common axial line, each of said material impelling elements of less than the overall width of a disintegrating chain and successive material impelling elements being closer to each other than the overall width of a disintegrating chain.

15. In combination, in a disintegrating apparatus, a frame comprising upper and lower plates, means for rigidly spacing said upper and lower plates and maintain ing them in fixed spaced relation, chain guides mounted on said upper and lower plates, said chain guides providing with said plates guideways for disintegrating chains of which guideways said chain guides provide lateral guidance for such chains and said upper and lower plates provide the bottoms of guide channels in which the chains travel, tubular spacer elements disposed between said upper and lower plates at portions of said plates over which said chain guides extend, said chain guides and plates perforated in alinement with the bores of said tubul-ar spacer elements, and holding elements extending through said guides, said plates and said tubular elements cooperating in securing the parts in assembled relation.

16. In combination, in a bar structure for a disintegrating mechanism, a frame comprising upper and lower plates, plates extending transversely and other plates extending longitudinally of and between said upper and lower plates and secured to them and to each other for maintaining said upper and lower plates .in spaced relation, chain guides mounted on said upper plate, and devices for securing said guides to said upper plate including holding elements extending through said guides and said upper and lower plates and through the spaces set 01f by said transversely and longitudinally extending plates.

17. In combination, in a bar structure for a disinte grating mechanism, a frame comprising upper and lower plates, plates extending transversely and other plates ex- 7 tending longitudinally of and between said upper and lower plates and secured to them and to each other for maintaining said upper and lower plates in spaced relation, chain guides mounted on said upper and lower plates, and devices for securing said guides to said upper and lower plates including holding elements extending through said guides and said upper and lower plates and through the spaces set off by said transversely and longitudinally extending plates.

18. The combination set forth in claim 17 in which said holding elements are bolt elements and in which said bolt elements are surrounded by tubular elements aveaoso 8 also extending through said spaces and secured at their opposite ends to said upper and lower plates.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,233,494 Morgan July 17, 1917 1,811,927 Halleck June 30, 1931 1,985,339 Crumley Dec. 25, 1934 2,060,226 Lindgren Nov. 10, 1936 2,304,505 Morrow Dec. 8, 1942 2,327,585 Ulrich Aug. 24, 1943 2,415,217 Osgood Feb. 4, 1947 

